The Peru Gazette

VP Bill Chapin, Hotel Developer Chris LaBarge, Mayor Rabideau

Today, Mayor Clyde Rabideau introduced hotel developer Chris LaBarge who, on behalf of his company, Lake Flower Lodging LLC, has applied for variances to construct a major destination resort hotel on Lake Flower Avenue on a site currently occupied by 3 local motels; Lake Flower Inn, Adirondack Motel and Lakeside Motel.LaBarge wants to build 90 high-end rooms with a stand-alone restaurant on the water and a 200-seat catering facility along with increased dockage for boats to accommodate both guests and local who wish to visit.

Rabideau commented, “If this exciting new development comes to fruition, it will be one of the biggest game-changers for our local tourism economy in generations.”

The variances applied for include those for height and parking as LaBarge needs to have a 5-story structure to facilitate his vision along with parking on-site and off.

Interestingly, The Village of Lake George, which also lies within the Adirondack Park, just recently adopted a zoning code modification to allow for 6-story buildings so that it, too, could open the way for a new proposed hotel along its shoreline.

Said Rabideau, “The building would be about as tall as the Free Masons’ building on Broadway where Jreck subs is located and half the size as the two residential high-rises in the village, so its scale can certainly fit within our village.

LaBarge filed his variance requests on the 22nd with the Community Development Office and will appear at a special Zoning Board meeting on Thursday, August 8, at 5:30 PM.

Assemblyman Dan Stec, from the 114th district which encompasses the proposed site, commented, “Today’s announcement is very welcome news not only for Saranac Lake but for the Adirondacks. An investment of this magnitude is a potential game changer for the North Country. I look forward to supporting this project and working together with the developer and local and state government agencies to make this vision become a reality.”